--- title: "Psych News Alert: Video Gamers Have More Left Ventral Striatum" description: Teens who frequently play video games have more left striatal grey matter volume than peers who play less. In a study published online this... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/videogamer_56943016-Jun-24-2025-04-21-20-2696-PM.jpg --- 11/17/11 12:00 AM # Video Gamers Have More Left Ventral Striatum ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/video-gamers-have-more-left-ventral.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/video-gamers-have-more-left-ventral.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/video-gamers-have-more-left-ventral.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/video-gamers-have-more-left-ventral.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/video-gamers-have-more-left-ventral.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/videogamer_56943016-Jun-24-2025-04-21-19-3520-PM.jpg?width=133&height=200&name=videogamer_56943016-Jun-24-2025-04-21-19-3520-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/videogamer_56943016-Jun-24-2025-04-21-18-4773-PM.jpg) Teens who frequently play video games have more left striatal grey matter volume than peers who play less. In a [study](http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v1/n11/full/tp201153a.html) published online this week in *Translational Psychiatry*, researchers based at Ghent University in Belgium looked at 154 healthy 14-year-old adolescents (72 males and 82 females) recruited from secondary schools in Berlin. Researchers classified participants as frequent or infrequent players based on whether they played above or below the median of nine hours a week. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers found significantly higher left ventral striatum grey matter for frequent vs. infrequent video gamers. "Our results have implications for the understanding of the structural and functional basis of excessive but nonpathological video-game playing and the role of the ventral striatum in ‘behavioral’ addiction," wrote the researchers. To read about another recent study that found possible connections between television viewing and video-game exposure and the development of attention problems in children, see *[Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=113663)*. (Image: Sergey Sukhorukov/Shutterstock.com) [teens](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/teens), [video games](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/video-games), [grey matter](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/grey-matter) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/games_consoles_iStock-1160866353.jpg?height=200&name=games_consoles_iStock-1160866353.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/gaming-disorders-linked-to-cognitive-impairment-but-recreational-gaming-may-offer-benefits) [cognitive impairment](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-impairment), [working memory](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/working-memory), [cognitive tests](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-tests), [video games](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/video-games), [gaming](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gaming), [gaming disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gaming-disorder) ## [Gaming Disorders Linked to Cognitive Impairment—but Recreational Gaming May Offer Benefits](https://alert.psychnews.org/gaming-disorders-linked-to-cognitive-impairment-but-recreational-gaming-may-offer-benefits) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 12/5/25 12:18 PM Compared with people who don’t play video games, individuals who engage in recreational gaming... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/gaming-disorders-linked-to-cognitive-impairment-but-recreational-gaming-may-offer-benefits) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_33441064-Jun-24-2025-09-18-57-6286-PM.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_33441064-Jun-24-2025-09-18-57-6286-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/10/playing-video-games-may-increases.html) [cognitive function](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-function), [seniors](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/seniors), [video games](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/video-games) ## [Playing Video Games May Increases Cognitive Control in Seniors, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/10/playing-video-games-may-increases.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 10/18/13 12:00 AM While studies have pointed to negative consequences of children’s excessive video-game playing,... 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